One Year Anniversary: BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Today is the one - year anniversary of BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. While many of us have not forgotten what happened and the effect it had on wildlife and our planet, there are those out there who are still working hard to clean up the mess!

I signed up to receive alerts and news from the Defenders of Wildlife and receive periodic email alerts when they need help with various issues, petitions signed, and/or letters sent in to the officials, and I do my best to support this organization and its efforts to help not only wildlife, but our planet.

Most recently I was asked to adopt a sea turtle or dolphin to help those animals that are still affected today from the oil spill, every little bit helps when you are out to change our world for the better.  Yes, they are still affected, still living in oil spilled a year ago, still dying from it, and there are still people trying to clean up the mess.  To learn more about sea turtles or to donate or adopt one, please go here: sea turtle, or to learn more or adopt a dolphin please go here.

One must ask what is being done to prevent future oil spills?  I asked that and found that instead of banning oil companies from repeating their mistakes they are instead pushing for drilling and placing our planet at further risk.  So today I ask that we all send a message to the officials stating that we do not approve of these practices and ask for stricter policies instead of rushed decisions.  To send a letter, please see Defenders of Wildlife page here.

Although we may not be able to save the world by ourselves, with the help of others we can make a huge difference.  Please consider helping on this day, the one-year anniversary of the tragic oil spill.

Help!! Emergency Preparedness Tips for Our Pets

We all hope that our pets will never have any health problems or be involved in emergency situations. Sadly, this is not the case for a large number of our animal friends each year. That is why it is important to plan ahead and think of what can we do in our daily life now to work toward preventing health emergencies, being prepared rather than unprepared should something go wrong.

PLANTS: Many of us love having plants of various kinds growing in our homes. And so there is a concern about which ones may be harmful to our pets and which ones are not.

For a list of plants that are felt to be safe for pets and their digestive systems, go here:
http://www.sniksnak.com/plants.html

For a list of plants that are felt to be unsafe for the digestive systems of our pets, go here:
http://www.sniksnak.com/plants-toxic.html

As far as vegetables go, I read recently that onions, rhubarb and members of the nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes) can all send us and our pets on a very unpleasant journey to a vet hospital. So if you have a garden, it’s a good idea to fence it off if you have pets that may like to go sniffing around or chewing on things.

FIRST AID: Since April is also National Pet First Aid Awareness Month, there is a lot more to think about that you can do ahead of time to help in many possibly disastrous situations. We can look into taking a pet first aid and CPR class and also keep a pet first aid kit at home and in our car. Here is a good example:
http://www.wagn4u.com/Small_35pcs_Pet_First_Aid_Kit.html

PET INSURANCE: And we can protect our best friends with pet insurance in many cases, depending on age and current health conditions. I have a great plan from PetPlan.com (http://www.gopetplan.com), but there are several good companies who offer excellent coverage. A simple search on the web will yield many possible options.

EMERGENCY RESCUE ALERTS: Speaking of emergencies that would require rescue for your pets, how will the firemen or other rescue workers know you have pets? Only if you are there at the time....but if you are not, only if you have a means of notification readily visible about the pets who are living in your home. Fire and rescue workers are trained to look for alerts on windows and doors about the pets who may be living inside the homes or apartments they must enter in an emergency.

So, to help all of us protect our pets better, PetPlan.com is offering a free download to make a pet rescue alert that you can put on a window or somewhere else visible. Just go to this link to get yours:

http://www.gopetplan.com/firesafety/ - And the neat thing is that for every 100 of these downloads, a Wag'N Oxygen Mask kit will be donated to a rescue company in need of such equipment to help with the rescue of animals during fires. Of course, you can also buy these types of stickers in various locations on the web and in pet supply stores.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION: But what would we do if we had to leave our pets in an emergency situation that included evacuation? Or if we took our pets with us but those coming to our home later may not know if we have our pets with us or not? There’s a lot to read on this subject, but one way to help emergency responders know you have pets in your home or what may have happened to them, you can print out these free evacuation cards here:
http://www.wagn4u.com/free_evacuation_cards.html

There are numerous resources on the web with helpful info and tips. But these can help get us started as we think of ways to prepare ahead of time to handle emergency situations involving our pets.

~Submitted by Debra of Sleepy Cat Designs